News from around california

UC CALENDAR SHIFTS TO AVOID RELIGIOUS CONFLICT: DAVIS (AP) — The University of California has shifted the academic calendar of its campuses on the quarterly system to avoid religious conflicts with move-in days.

This year the Jewish High Holy Days fall at the end of September, delaying the start of the academic year until Oct. 2.

The change will result in shorter winter breaks in 2014 for thousands of students at UC Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz.

The policy was issued in June 2007 after members of the Jewish community complained that move-in days in 2006 conflicted with the Holy Days. Those holidays move depending on the lunar-based Jewish calendar.

The policy last came into play in 2009, when move-in days for the semester schools at Berkeley and Merced conflicted with the Muslim holiday Ramadan.

15 HOSPITALIZED AFTER BUS COLLIDES WITH BIG RIG: TULARE (AP) — The California Highway Patrol says 15 people have been hospitalized with minor injuries after a bus rear-ended a big rig on a Central Valley freeway.

Officer Scott Jobinger says the collision happened just before midnight Monday on northbound Route 99 in Tulare, about 40 miles south of Fresno.

The bus driver told investigators he was unable to avoid a collision when the big rig slowed suddenly.

Jobinger says 15 people, including the big rig's driver, were transported to hospitals. Seventeen other people on the bus, including its driver, complained of pain and other minor injuries but refused treatment.

The bus, operated by Fronteras del Norte, was en route from Los Angeles to Yakima, Washington.

The company sent other buses to pick up passengers as they were discharged from hospitals.

UC IRVINE REVERSING COURSE ON E-CIGARETTE USE: IRVINE AP) — Just weeks after instituting new smoking rules that allowed electronic cigarettes at the University of California, Irvine, campus officials have reversed themselves and banned the nicotine-vapor devices.

University spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon said that the revised rules bring Irvine into alignment with system-wide UC regulations that prohibit the use of all nicotine products.

Each of UC's nine other campuses banned all smoking as of Jan. 1, plus e-cigarettes and chewing tobacco

Earlier the Irvine campus argued it had the "autonomy" to come up with its own policy, which exempted chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes.

Opal Thompson turned 113 on Monday. The Contra Costa Times reports that staff at the San Francisco Bay Area nursing home where Thompson lives held a party for her and other residents with January birthdays.

Thompson also received a bouquet of three dozen red roses from television personality Phil McGraw, or Dr. Phil.

Thompson has appeared on the show and received roses from Dr. Phil on her birthday each of the past few years.

She became the state's oldest resident following the Aug. 30 death of 114-year-old Soledad Mexia.

Thompson's family attributes her longevity at least in part to eating healthy, praying and having fun.

LARGE FIRE ON KIMBALL ISLAND LEADS TO EVACUATIONS: KIMBALL ISLAND (AP) — An out-of-control fire is burning on Kimball Island just north of Antioch near the Contra Costa, Solano and Sacramento County borders.

The fire was first reported around 3:30 p.m., but Solano County firefighters have had difficulty getting to it.

The U.S. Coast Guard says they have evacuated four people, seven people evacuated voluntarily, and three people remain on the island.